Computers, workstations or other related computer devices have a large amount of storage capacity. In the current environment the storage capacity is often utilised to store attachments from e-mail or the like. The attachments are generally stored in a section of memory under a suitable file name associated with, for example, a document, spreadsheet, presentation, etc.
In general, a user receives an e-mail with attached files. The file is often detached and stored as mentioned above and later the files are removed from the e-mail to minimise mailbox storage space. The result is that there is now no linkage between the file and the e-mail. The user is not able to determine who sent the file and when and any other details in the e-mail which may be relevant.
Occasionally, with time and effort in searching or a bit of luck, the user can re-establish the linkage between a file and the e-mail it was sent in or attached to. However this is not always the case.
US 2005-0052692 A1 discloses a system where a file is detached from an e-mail and can then be found by clicking an icon in the e-mail. When the file is detached an entry is created in a document reference file. This file is then accessed when the icon in the e-mail is clicked. This provides a mechanism for ensuring that file that was detached from an e-mail can be rediscovered.
It is not quite so straight forward to find the e-mail from which a file has been detached therefrom. E-mails are more transient and are often moved from one folder to another. The present invention addresses the problem of finding an e-mail from which a file has been detached.